“STAR awards are given to interesting new products that help a user save money or accomplish a task in an easier way,” said Mark Hallinger, editor of TV Technology Europe. “The products selected help advance the industry — some were chosen because of technical novelty or innovation, some because they filled an important gap in the production or transmission chain and some because they were just cool products.”

The new Layering Engine, part of Ensemble Designs’ Avenue signal integration system, is for use in broadcast, mobile and presentation applications. It provides mixing and keying for small master control and mobile applications.

“We met with customers from all over the world, from Sweden to Sudan,” said Mondae Hott, director of sales at Ensemble Designs. “Engineers from sports facilities, game shows and mobile trucks were putting the Layering Engine into their projects.”

Ensemble’s iPad control and monitoring set the Avenue Layering Engine apart from other small mixers and switchers. The iPad interface gives the operator freedom and flexibility in switching an event or show. Also, an iPad or web browser can be used to quickly and easily create keyer presets that can be recalled on-air by automation systems.

“The iPad control really grabs people’s attention,” said Cindy Zuelsdorf, marketing czar at Ensemble Designs. “Our first Layering Engine customer, TV3 in Malaysia, is using it in a master control bypass system, a backup system for disaster recovery.”

Ensemble’s Layering Engine is a type of small production switcher or mix effect. A production switcher or mix effect is used to switch between different camera feeds or video sources, like you’d see on a news show. Camera one might be a shot of the news anchor, camera two could be a shot of the meteorologist and camera three a shot of the sportscaster.

All of the camera outputs are connected to a switcher, and it switches between the different cameras; the switcher output is the final program that is seen on a TV set or computer by the home viewer. A switcher can also take a logo and insert it into the program or show, like the KVIE logo you see in the corner of the “California’s Gold” TV show or the NBC logo you see in the corner during “The Today Show.” A switcher can even insert an animated graphic, such as an animation of a basketball with a voiceover promoting the Sacramento Kings that is running at the bottom of an ESPN show.

Based in Grass Valley and formed in 1989, Ensemble Designs is a leading provider of signal processing and infrastructure products to the professional broadcast industry and other government and commercial applications. Customers include RAI, CBS News, NASA, Major League Baseball, Olympic Broadcast Organization, Sky, ESPN, The Moving Picture Company and TVNZ.